New to relationships
by MystiiriousAbnormality
Summary: Ino talks about her love life...or lack there of it. Could an invitation to breackfast from a friend be the start of something great? NaruIno
1. Just friends?

**I do not own Naruto**

New to relationships

_Just friends?_

* * *

After Naruto had gotten Sasuke to remember where he belongs, and to come back to the village as an ally, and not an enemy, Naruto was sent on a few missions. He was sent with Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji to find information on Pain, the one who killed Jiraiya. Shikamaru, Choujji, and Naruto seemed to get along quite well, Shikamaru especially. They were good friends the three of them, but Ino wasn't that close to Naruto, in fact, she barely knew him at all. Only the annoying, bratty, idiotic Naruto form the academy. Even though he had matured quite a bit, he was still that goofy guy that seemed to lighten up the mood. She got along great with her two team mates, but never really talked to Naruto on the first few missions they were on together.

She began to see why people that spent time with him liked him so much. He was nice, caring, and determined. He had a presence that seemed to impress people, even if he was still just a kid. He was quickly becoming one of the village's strongest shinobi, surpassing many of his former teachers. He had a will of iron, an unbreakable wall of fortitude at his disposal. And he was willing to give up everything, his dreams, his happiness, and his life, to save those he was close to.

They had been talking with one another more and more lately, he always seemed to give the group confidence when they seemed at a loss. Whenever she was sad, he could easily cheer her up, which she admired about him. She could say that they were slowly, but surly, becoming friends.

His sacrificial mentality was shown to her on their last mission together, before Naruto was temporarily hospitalized.

They were in a remote village located on the border of the land of rain. They had gotten information that Akatsuki members were there on orders. When they arrived, they found that one of them was missing, and the other seemed to be eager for a fight. Of course, Naruto gladly accepted, but Shikamaru was worried because he knew that even though Naruto was exceptional as a fighter, Akatsuki members where usually smart. However, he didn't stop Naruto, for he had faith in him.

Ino looked on in concern as Naruto charged at the guy, gaining speed. The guy didn't move and when Naruto landed a kick to his head, didn't budge. They were all shocked, then the guy lifted his arm, grabbing Naruto's shoulder, and squeezing. To everyone's horror, they all heard cracking, as Naruto was thrown back towards them. It was obvious that this guy was strong, if he could break Naruto's collar bone, and shoulder blade with one hand. Ino gasped and covered her mouth when that had happened.

"Naruto…" yelled Shikamaru as he ran over to him, Ino and Chouji right behind him.

Naruto didn't hesitate to get back on his feet, "Naruto, let us handle this, you're too injured." Ino pleaded.

Naruto chuckled, "Sorry, but now I really wanna kick this guys ass." He said as he grinned towards her and looked back at the guy, who was still just standing there. She was amazed at his pain tolerance, and his determination to fight. The three sighed and reluctantly stepped away to give him some space. Naturo smiled as he brought up his hand, beginning to gather the chakra in his palm to form the rasengan. Since the sage training that he had gone through, he was now able to form it on his own, without shadow clones. This impressed the three who hadn't seen any new techniques yet, granted it wasn't new, but he was definitely stronger.

He rushed the guy, who wasn't intimidated at all, "Rasengan…Impulse!!" yelled out Naruto as he struck the guy.

"Impulse?" questioned Shikamaru in confusion; he had never heard Naruto use that before.

"Maybe its new." stated Chouji, who looked on in interest.

They watched the small explosion of earth as Naruto jumped back, looking as though he wasn't injured at all.

"That's it, how's that supposed to do anything?" asked an unimpressed Shikamaru.

Naruto only chuckled, "Take a look for yourself." The team watched as the dust cleared and gasped at the sight of the guy, on the ground, unconscious.

"What the hell?" questioned Chouji.

"Yea, if your kick didn't do a thing, then how did that little rasengan thingy do that?" asked Shikamaru, Ino only looked on in confusion.

"It's a new technique, it's not only a rasengan, I used the natural energy around his body right before the attack and pulled away all of his spiritual energy, making it impossible to use chakra. So he couldn't do anything and got hit with the full blast." Naruto explained with a grin.

"Natural energy?" questioned Ino.

Naruto sighed, and proceeded to explain Natural energy and what he was taught. Everyone listened intently, seemingly impressed.

"Well Naruto, I guess you've improved more than I thought." said Shikamaru as he looked back at the guy.

Naruto felt something that wasn't right and turned to Ino with wide eyes.

"What is it Naruto?" she asked, feeling a blush creeping on her cheeks.

Then she heard chuckling form behind her, there was a second Akatsuki about twenty yards away.

"So, you took out my partner, very nice job." He said as he chuckled again.

Naruto clenched his fists in anticipation of an attack. Then the guy drew a sword from a sheath on his back, aiming it at Ino.

"Now die." He yelled as he laughed maniacally. Rushing towards Ino with incredible speed, she couldn't move if she tried. She closed her eyes tight, waiting for it to hit, when she heard it hit, but didn't feel anything, accept for something wet and warm seeping through her cloths. She quickly opened her eyes.

"Naruto!!" she cried out. He had jumped in the way of the guy's blade so that Ino wouldn't get hurt. It pierced right through his chest and out his back, only inches from Ino's neck. She felt tears stirring in her eyes, thinking of the worst.

"Sorry about your cloths Ino." He said, with a seemingly happy tone, obviously trying to lighten the mood, if that was even possible.

She watched as he formed chakra around his hands as he would with a chakra blade to make it sharper, then he pulled back his arms and thrust them into the guys stomach and ribs. He yelled out in pain as Naruto pulled away his hands, and blood started to poor out of the guy. He wasn't hit anywhere fatal, Naruto made sure of that. Shikamaru used his shadow technique to hold the guy as Chouji used his attack to take him out.

"Naruto what the hell were you…" Shikamaru started as he ran to him, but was cut off.

Naruto chuckled, "Well that was a close one huh?" is all he managed to say before falling to his knees, spiting up blood.

"Still an idiot."

"Naruto…" yelled Ino as she grabbed him to prevent him from falling, further injuring himself. She quickly looked over him, taking off his jacket and shirt to see the wound clearer. She blushed a dark red, but quickly regained her composure considering the situation.

"Well, he wasn't hit in any vital areas, but we need to get him back to Tsunade-sama quickly." She said as Chouji took him out of her hands. Shikamaru grabbed the guy Naruto had knocked out so they could interrogate him, and they headed back to the village quickly. Ino was standing there glaring at the corpse of the one who stabbed Naruto before taking a deep breath and following after them.

--

He slowly opened his eyes, looking around at his surroundings; he was in his usual hospital bed. He sat up, and wiped his eyes, trying to see clearer. Then he felt himself in a tight embrace. It was Sakura, who had come to be one of his closest friends.

"Oi…Naruto, glad to see you made it." said Shikamaru with a grin.

"Yea….you shouldn't pull stunts like that anymore." added Chouji as he munched down on some chips.

"Naruto…it's never easy with you is it?" Sakura asked sarcastically as she smiled at him.

"Idiot…" said Sasuke who was grinning, sitting in the corner. Everyone laughed until someone interrupted.

"You had us all worried sick." blurted out Ino, a bit angry at everyone's seemingly calm attitude.

Everyone looked at her with furrowed brows, "Calm down Ino, I'm fine." said Naruto.

"Yea…well you shouldn't do stupid things like that, stop playing around with your life like its nothing." She yelled out as tears started forming in her blue eyes. Now everyone was staring at her in confusion, Naruto is in life threatening situations like this constantly, why was she so upset this time.

"I only did it because I didn't want you to get hurt." He said calmly. She only glared at him before turning around in a huff and storming out of the room.

"Okay then…." said Shikamaru.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Naruto in concern.

"I don't know…I'll talk to her." said Sakura as she hugged him again and got up to leave.

--

That was her last mission with him for a while; however, every time she heard that he was in the hospital, she would hurry over to make sure that he was okay. He would always smile at her when she came in, trying to calm her down, but she was always upset about it. She didn't like it when he was hurt.

--

Now let's skip a few years and see how things turn out for the village.

--

Ino was now twenty years old, living by herself in an apartment. She had become a Jonin like most of her age group was at this point. She was also a member of the Anbu for her information gathering skills; she was considered one of the village's top shinobi. She was on her way back to the village with Shikamaru and Hinata form a secretive mission in the land of Waves. They had completed it without a hitch and would give their report to the Hokage, then get some much needed rest.

They knocked on the door to the Hokage's office; "Come in." they heard.

They walked in and stood in front of his desk, he was looking out the window, not really paying attention to their entrance.

"How'd everything go?" he asked quietly.

"Fine, everything went as planned." Shikamaru answered.

He turned around in his chair and smiled, "Well that's great." They then proceeded to report to him on the mission.

"Okay, thank you."

"No problem Naruto." Shikamaru said as they walked out the door.

"Ino, can I speak with you?" Naruto asked as the door was about to close.

Shikamaru and Hinata looked at him in confusion but continued on; Ino turned around and looked at him in confusion also, as she walked up to the desk.

"Take a seat." He said gently.

She sat down, "What is it Hokage?" she asked nervously.

He chuckled, "You can call me by my name you know."

"But you're the Hokage, it would be….." Naruto cut her off.

"I don't care what I am, I would just rather have my friends call me by name." he said with a smile.

She also smiled, "Okay, what is it _Naruto_?" she said his name teasingly.

"That's more like it….anyways, Sakura left for a week to go on a trip with Tsunade, as you probably know, and she left this for you." He said as he handed her a letter.

She took it, looking at it in confusion before opening it up and beginning to read. They had become good friends with one another, considering they didn't fight over Sasuke anymore. They had just grown away from the unfounded crush they had on him.

_Ino,_

_When I get back, I better find out that you have a boyfriend. You've been single for as long as I can remember, find someone who makes you happy._

_Because when I get back, I'll find someone too, but I'll probably find someone first because of my womanly charm._

She furrowed her brows in anger, but, Sakura was right, she hadn't had a boyfriend since she briefly, very briefly at that, went out with Neji, who was her first and only boyfriend, and they never actually kissed. Well, they kissed, but not passionately, just little pecks. She was twenty years old, only ever had one boyfriend and barely ever kissed a boy. She sighed at how pathetic it was. Sakura and Naruto had gone out for a few months, but were forced to break up. They still liked each other, but they had 

separated because of issues with the village at the time, they just couldn't be together for dangers sake. Now, however, they are very, very good friends, and still have feelings for one another, however, they never got back together. Naruto wasn't too worried about it, as long as they could still be good friends he was fine with it, and so was she. She knew that he had been Sakura's only boyfriend, but at least it was better than her pathetic two weeks with Neji. She didn't actually know much about Naruto's love life, even though they were good friends.

Shikamaru was going out with Temari, Neji was with Tenten, Hinata and Kiba, the list went on and on, but she had no one.

"Whats wrong?" he asked in concern, noticing her angry, yet sad expression.

She looked up at him, noticing his slightly longer hair; he was much taller than back then and more muscular. He didn't wear a Hokage jacket, or anything showing rank for that matter, only his forehead protector. His orange jacket with black flames coming from the bottom was on a chair in the corner of the room, he was only wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, that showed his body off very well, and a pair of pants. She blushed and looked back down to the floor; she thought he was cute back then, but now, she could only say…that he was _HOT!!_

Naruto smiled noticing her blush, "Ino?" he questioned again.

She looked back up, "Oh…it's nothing…" she said quietly, looking back at the floor again.

"Sure it's not." He said as he sat back in his chair, sighing and turning to the window. Ino had looked up at his remark and frowned.

She sighed, and put the letter on his desk so that he could read it, then she looked at the floor with a depressed glare. Naruto turned to the letter to read it, then he frowned and looked at her.

"So it's a challenge then?" he managed a smile for her.

She looked up and chuckled, "Yea…I guess….so it looks like I lose."

"Why's that, you have a week, it should be simple for you to find a boyfriend."

"I haven't had a boyfriend in over five years, what makes you say that I'll find one in only a week??" she asked getting frustrated, "None of the guys in the village ever ask me out." She said quietly as she looked at the floor again, Naruto noticed her depressed state.

He smiled, "That's because they are too intimidated by you." He said as he turned to the window again. She looked up at him in confusion. "You're one of the prettiest women in the village after all, half of them are just too nervous to ask you." He said as he turned back around.

She blushed at his comment and looked away, "And the other half?" She asked, growing a smile, he always seemed to be able to cheer her up.

"Well…you're one of the villages top Shinobi, most guys don't like powerful woman." He said with a grin.

She smiled again at his compliments, but he was right, a lot of the guys in the village were probably way to intimidated by her, granted, she wouldn't want to even think about going out with most of them. There were only a select few that she would even consider going out with, and, Naruto was one of them, but she was way too nervous to ask him out.

"So what about you, why don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked, gaining a grin.

Naruto sighed, "Well, truth be told, my last…and only girlfriend was Sakura, and…..I just never felt comfortable asking anyone." He said calmly, as if he didn't care that he was telling her.

'_He really hasn't had a girlfriend in that long, that's surprising; he was kind of cute back then. And he was a good shinobi, but I guess his annoyingness drove them away.'_ She thought to herself as she chuckled silently.

"Even with all the girls chasing you around?" she asked.

"Well…yea…they only want me because I'm Hokage…they don't care about _me_."

"But still…." She was cut off.

"I don't want a girlfriend that only wants me because of my title; I don't care how long it's been." He said sternly. Ino smiled at him, he wanted someone that he could care about, not just someone to fool around with, and she respected him for that, most guys only want the fooling around part.

"I just think it's strange that someone like you doesn't have a girlfriend." She said as she got up to leave. Naruto was still turned to the window, she was waiting, hoping that he would turn and say something, but nothing came. She frowned and turned to the door, she opened it and waited again, but again, nothing, "Well, see ya later." She said as she was about to close the door.

"Ino??" she heard from his office.

She looked back in, "Yes?"

"Do you wanna get some breakfast tomorrow. We haven't done that in a while." he asked calmly, still not turning to her. She took a minute to take in what he just asked, then her stomach started to twirl in nervousness, but she also felt warm and happy.

"Sure…" she said, gaining a warm smile.

"Awesome…see you tomorrow." He said as he turned his attention to some paper work, letting out a drawn out sigh.

She chuckled, "Alright…see you then." She said as she closed the door. Walking to her apartment with a smile still plastered on her face. She thought that he was only seeing it as a date between friends, just to cheer her up a bit. But she wanted it to be more than that; she wanted it to be the real thing.

--

When she woke up, she smiled, remembering that she was going to breakfast with Naruto. She got up and went to take a shower, put on her cloths, and went to the door. When she walked outside, she saw Naruto leaning against the building opposite her apartment.

She smiled, "Naruto." She called out as she walked over to him.

"Oh…hi Ino…you ready?" he asked with a big grin.

"Yea…let's go."

They walked to a small restaurant in the village and took their seats. She was surprised that he hadn't taken her for ramen. They ate their breakfast, and talked about current happenings. Then Naruto remembered something from the past.

"Ino…that time a while back when we were on that mission and I got stabbed by the akatsuki guy, why were you so upset?" he asked.

Ino took a minute to remember, then frowned, "I was just so confused as to why you would sacrifice your life for mine, we didn't even know each other that well." She said, looking down at her lap.

"You were an ally, and, maybe not a close one, but you were still a friend, and…" he stopped for a minute, "After the way I grew up, not having any friends or family, only people who hated me, when I got a new friend, I couldn't give them up for anything, even if it meant giving away my life." He said sternly. Ino was looking at him wide eyed, she remembered how the people of the village used to treat him, then she started to tear up at how sad he must have been.

"Why are you crying?" he asked in confusion.

She wiped away her tears, "Oh…nothing…it's just…I was so mean to you when we were still in the academy…everyone was." she said between sniffles as she really started to cry.

She heard him chuckle, "It's not funny." She yelled.

"Maybe it's not…but that was a long time ago." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

She calmed down a bit as he started talking again, "Oh yea…and another reason I jumped in front of you….was because I kinda had a little crush on you." He told her as he began to chuckle once again.

She smiled, 'So he actually liked me.' "Well…since you said that…I can tell you this….I was really only upset because I liked you…and I was afraid that you would….you know…"

They both laughed for a minute as they continued to reminisce about the past.

After about two hours, she looked at a clock on the wall. But before she could say anything, Naruto began.

"Well, that was fun, but I need to get to the office." He said as he got up and walked her out the door.

"Okay, I'll see you around, and thank you." She said with a smile as she walked off, but turned around at his sudden question.

"You doing anything for dinner?" he asked casually as he walked backwards with his hands in his pockets.

She turned around and smiled, "Nope."

"Then it's a date." He said with a grin as he turned around and continued towards the Hokage tower.

'A date…' she said in her head, still only thinking that he was doing it as a friend, but she smiled regardless.

--

Naruto found himself walking down a street towards Ino's flower shop, he was thinking of her a lot today. He didn't get as much work done as he usually would have. He waited outside, leaning against the wall. A few minutes later, he heard the door open, Ino locked it and turned in surprise.

"Naruto…sheesh….you scared me." She exclaimed as she walked up to him and smiled, he was also smiling as they started walking down the street to the restaurant.

They entered and found some seats, after having a small chat with the waiter, they ordered dinner. They talked about the past again; stories about missions and stuff along those lines, and Ino continuously apologized for the way she used to think of him. He, of course, didn't really care about the past, so he forgave her easily, trying to make her stop talking about it. They talked a little more until they realized how late it was. They left the restaurant and Naruto walked her to her apartment.

"Thanks Naruto." She said as she opened the door.

"No….thank you." He said as he walked down the street. She watched him until his silhouette disappeared. She closed the door and smiled.

--

It was the next afternoon when she was working behind the counter at the flower shop. She had been thinking about him all morning. She just couldn't get her mind off of him, almost ignoring customers. Then, all of a sudden, the person she had been daydreaming about walked in. He had his big smile as he walked up to the counter.

"Hey Naruto." She greeted happily.

"Hi…" he replied as he grew a grin. He leaned on the counter looking into her eyes, which made her blush and look away. "Come on…it's not that hot in here." He said teasingly, he then began to laugh when she gently punched his shoulder.

"Do you need something?" she asked nervously, with a hint of frustration from his comment.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something today."

She smiled, "How's lunch sound?"

"Great."

"I can go in a half an hour, how's ramen?"

He chuckled, "That's fine, see you there." _POOF!!_ And he was gone. 'A shadow clone.' She thought, then she smiled and sat in a chair in the corner to wait for the half hour to pass by.

--

She left the shop at the designated time, locking the door, and putting up the closed sign. She walked down the street to the ramen stand where Naruto was already seated. She walked up to him quietly, and poked his sides, causing him to squirm at the funny feeling.

"Hey there." He said in a chuckle.

"Hey." She replied as she sat down on the stool next to him.

They were brought two bowls of ramen and began to eat, Naruto of course, eat almost three times as much as her. She watched him eat with a warm smile on her face.

She started to think about him more, then she remembered that he had gone out with Sakura for a few months. She began to get jealous of her friend, thinking of all the things they probably did. She felt herself droop, thinking that she hadn't done anything; she was as innocent as a child.

"Whats wrong?" he asked in concern.

She looked up quickly, "N…nothing."

"Ino…" he said in a way that made her want, no, need to ask him.

"Well…I was thinking about how you dated Sakura and I was wondering if you two ever…you know…." She started to blush at the thought. "She never told me anything."

Naruto noticed and chuckled a bit, "No…we didn't." he said casually again, he didn't seem to care if she knew _everything_ about him, and that made her feel good, special almost.

She was almost expecting him to ask the same question, but he never did. She again admired him for this, for not pushing her to tell him anything she may not want to. But, she wanted to, she felt she had too.

"Me and Neji didn't either…actually, we never even kissed, besides little pecks." She said, looking to the ground, almost ashamed. Naruto noticed her mood, and frowned.

She didn't need to ask him if he and Sakura had kissed, for she saw them frequently pecking each other goodbye or hello, and occasionally the more passionate kiss, and once, a full blown make out session.

They had finished lunch and he was walking her back to the flower shop. He entered with her and asked if he could buy some flowers.

"And who are they for?" she asked with a grin.

"Someone special." He replied as he grew a warm smile.

She felt herself feel sick almost, he had made her feel good again, and now he was going to give some flowers to another girl. But she kept her composure and smile, selling him the flowers, which happened to be her favorite, and waved him off as he walked out the door.

She sat in her little flower shop for the rest of the day feeling down. She thought that she and Naruto might actually have something going, but then he had to go and buy flowers for another girl. Every time she saw a female her age walk by, she frowned, only deepening her sadness.

Finally it was time to close up and head home for some much needed sleep. But she knew she wouldn't just do that, she felt like crying at her pathetic and lonely self. She walked through the streets, looking down at the white ground. It had started to snow a few hours ago, and since it was night, it was freezing outside, Christmas was about a month and a half away, and she had no one to share it with. Granted, she would go to friend's houses and hopefully be invited to a party or two, but she didn't have anyone for herself, no boyfriend. She sighed and walked up the steps to her door, finally looking up, she almost gasped.

_I'll be in the office until around 11, so if you want, we could get some dinner again. If not then, have a good night._

She read the note attached to a bouquet of flowers, the same flowers she had sold him that afternoon. She almost started crying at how happy she felt, he was sweat, and she could never refuse an offer like this, considering who it was from. That little gesture made her feel warm, made her feel, joyful. Maybe she wouldn't be alone forever after all.

So, she walked to the Hokage tower, humming to herself as she walked. When she got to the doors to his office, she stopped dead. She was nervous, really nervous, and after a few minutes, she finally managed to knock on the door.

"Come in."

Opening the door and walking in a few feet, he looked up to see her, gaining a bright smile, "Well hey, I didn't think you would come."

"Of course I would…." She said teasingly.

"Well, I guess we can go now, I'll just finish this up tomorrow." He said as he stood up and walked to get his jacket.

They walked outside and it had begun to snow again and relatively hard too. He walked her to the restaurant and they had a nice meal with a good conversation. When they finished, Naruto walked her to her apartment, when she turned around to say goodnight, she didn't expect what happened next.

Naruto had leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. The warm feeling overwhelming her, she felt her stomach twirl and a tingling sensation run down her back. It was really just a regular kiss on the lips, but she felt like it was her own corner of paradise. It had only been a few seconds, and he had already said goodnight and started walking off, obviously a bit embarrassed at what he did, she only smiled warmly and walked inside. She jumped onto her bed, and fell asleep, feeling wonderful.

--

She was in the flower shop the next morning, once again daydreaming. She couldn't stop herself, and when her father noticed her not paying attention, he gave her the day off to get herself together. She was walking through the snow filled streets. She didn't know what to do, she didn't want to go home, and she wasn't sure if she should go see him. Then, she noticed an orange jacket out of the corner of her eyes; she smiled and ran up to him.

"Hey there." She said, coming up beside him.

"Oh…hey Ino, what's up?" he asked happily.

"Not much…just trying to find something to do." She said with a frown.

"Uh….well I'm not busy right now…so come with me." He said as he started to run off. She smiled and chased after him.

"Where are you taking me?" She yelled out behind him.

"A place." He said, teasing her, and only making her curiosities peek.

Then they arrived, it was a good sized pond, frozen over, and a small shack next to it. She watched as Naruto went up to the shack and talked to the man in the window, then he walked up to her with two pairs of skates. He sat down on a bench and started to put his skates on.

"Naruto, I don't kno…."

"Don't worry about it." He said, motioning for her to put her skates on. She sighed and reluctantly put them on, following him to the pond.

He got on slowly; getting balanced, then he skated to the center and turned around. "Come on…don't be shy." He said, beckoning for her to come.

She sighed again and got onto the ice, almost immediately falling on her tush. She heard Naruto chuckle as he skated over to her.

"It's not funny." She said in a huff.

"It kinda was." He said, holding out a hand for her. She grabbed it and got up, punching him lightly for laughing, he then held onto her for support and showed her how to do it. After a while, she got used to it and was having a lot of fun. Then, she lost her balance and knocked right into Naruto, causing them to both fall to the ice, Ino on top of Naruto. They laughed for a minute or two until slowly subsiding and staring at one another.

"Ino….sorry about last night, I don't know what…." He was cut off by Ino's lips placed firmly over his. She wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, and he put one hand on her head, and the other on her back. He ran his hand through her silky blonde hair, causing her to slightly moan at the sensation. He sucked on her upper lip before she forcibly shot her tongue into his mouth. They wrestled tongues for a few minutes before she slowly pulled away, opening her eyes. Naruto also opened his eyes and looked at her, with a bit of shock. She blushed and got up quickly, taking off her skates as fast as she could.

"I…I need to go." She said nervously, then she ran off down the street, still trying to get on her boots.

Naruto sighed and got up, 'That was better than any of Sakura's kisses…' he thought to himself as he smiled and got up.

--

"Come in." Naruto said sadly to the person knocking. He was worried about Ino, for after she had run of a few days ago, he hadn't seen her since.

"Hey Naruto." said Shikamaru as he walked in.

"Hey…how'd it go?" He asked, gaining a little enthusiasm towards his friend.

"It was okay, boring though."

"Yea, I bet."

"Anyways, I gotta get home…" he said lazily as he put a packet onto Naruto's desk containing the mission report.

"Yea, alright…oh, have you seen Ino lately?" he asked.

"Why?" Shikamaru raised a brow.

"Just wondering." He said calmly.

"Well, I saw her sitting on a bench in the park on my way here, she seemed really upset and wouldn't talk about it." He said walking out the door.

Naruto sighed, why was she upset, then he decided to go see her, maybe she would still be there.

--

He was happy to see that she was in fact still on the bench, and she did seem to be very upset about something. He walked slowly up to the bench and took a seat next to her. She looked up in surprise before turning her head from him.

"What do you want?" she asked with a very sad tone of voice.

"Not much." He replied.

"Then why are you here." She said, getting frustrated.

"Shikamaru told me you were here."

She didn't say anything, only looked at him for a moment before looking ahead.

"Why did you run off the other day?" he asked teasingly, gaining Ino's attention.

She sighed, deciding it best to tell him, hopefully he would still want to be friends, "After I kissed you…I was afraid you might not want to see me again, so I ran away."

"Why would you think that?" She didn't say anything, only looked up at him, "I kissed you the night before, didn't I?"

She turned away, blushing at his comment. Then she gasped when he gently grabbed her chin and turned her to face him, leaning into her face. She closed her eyes as he kissed her, a warm, comforting kiss. He slowly licked her lips which sent shivers down her spine; she smiled and kissed him back, her heart pounding away. Then he pulled away and looked towards the sky.

"I like you Ino…and not just as a friend." He told her. And with that, she lunged herself towards him, pulling him into a deep embrace that he returned. After a few minutes she let him go and gently leaned her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for awhile, or, at least until she looked at him and leaned up, giving him a little kiss and laying on his lap, falling asleep.

* * *


	2. Together at last

**I do not own Naruto**

New to relationships

_Together at last_

* * *

She woke up, still in his lap; she smiled as she sat up, stretching and yawning. Then it hit her, it was snowing, and freezing, and they had slept outside, on a bench.

"OH SHIT!!" she heard. "Sorry Ino….I should have taken you home…."

She shivered, but managed to smile at him, "Don't worry about it…I shouldn't have fallen asleep."

He helped her up and quickly walked her to her apartment, it was beginning to get light out, so they knew they had slept for a long time. Today was the day Sakura was supposed to come home, and Naruto had to give her an update on village information and the such.

"Well….have a good morning…" he chuckled, walking down the street.

She giggle, "You too Naruto." She whispered as she walked into her apartment.

--

The next day, Sakura had stopped by the flower shop to see Ino.

"So Ino-pig, who's the boyfriend?" she asked teasingly. Referring to the letter she had wrote for her.

"I'm not telling." She said in friendly defiance.

"Wha…you actually have one?" Sakura asked, almost amazed.

Ino pouted at her comment, "Well…I don't know…I guess you could call us a couple, but I don't know if he sees us like that."

"Oh…is Ino getting attached to one of her _customers_?" Sakura asked with a crooked grin, knowing Ino would be mad.

Ino's face began to boil, she hated when Sakura said things like that, always insinuating that she was a prostitute or something, "You know very well I've never done anything close to that." She screamed out.

Sakura was surprised at her response, she would usually just get mad, but she was pissed. "Calm down Ino, it was just a joke."

Ino only huffed and sat down in her chair. "He asked me out to breakfast as friends, then we had dinner, then lunch the next day, and he bought me flowers with another invitation to dinner, then he kissed me, and…" she was cut off.

"Someone kissed you?" Sakura asked in amazement.

Ino pouted again, "Yes…anyways….then we went ice skating and I fell on him and ended up kissing him, but I thought it would ruin any chance I had, so I kinda ran away…but then he found me a few days later and sat on the bench with me, and he cheered me up….and he kissed me again, and I fell asleep on his…." She stopped when she started to cough roughly, she couldn't stop it.

"Ino…you okay?" asked Sakura in concern. But Ino wouldn't stop coughing, her face started to pale and Sakura saw that something was definitely wrong so she rushed her to the hospital so she could properly care for her.

--

She woke up the next morning to see Naruto in a bed next to her, sitting up and looking out the window.

"Naruto?" she asked.

"Hey Ino…good to see your awake." He said with a smile, causing her to feel warm and smile in return.

Sakura was sitting on a chair in the room watching the two, she noticed the smiles, they weren't normal smiles. After another few minutes, Naruto had laid back down and was sleeping soundly.

"So Ino…finish up your story." She said to her friend.

She turned to her with a blush staining her cheeks, "Well…that was the day before you came back…and I had fallen asleep on his lap, and he fell asleep to, so we slept almost all night outside in the cold." She said, gaining a fond grin as she slightly turned to Naruto.

"That must be why you have pneumonia, I wonder how Naruto got it…." She slowly turned from Naruto to Ino, who was looking over at Naruto sleep with a smile.

"No way…" Sakura almost yelled. Ino looked over at her in confusion to her sudden outburst.

"What…what's wrong?"

"It's Naruto, isn't it?" she asked, gaining a victorious grin.

Ino's eyes widened, 'How did she…oh…he's sick too…I guess that's proof enough considering she knows my story….', she sighed, down that Sakura had found out so easily, "Yea…"

"I never would have thought…how'd it happened?" she asked in curiosity, she still liked Naruto, but didn't want to have another relationship with him just in case it caused them to lose their bond of friendship…and it was a very close bond. She was happy for Ino, but very surprised by the pair.

"Well, I always kinda liked him, and when we got back from a mission, he asked me to stay back and he gave me your letter, which I was pissed about by the way." Sakura only chuckled, "Then he asked what was wrong and I showed him the letter, but he laughed and told me it would be easy to find someone, he said the guys were just intimidated, and he said I was pretty. Then we talked about our past relationships…which only took like two minutes." Sakura chuckled again; she knew Ino only went out with Neji very briefly, and that Naruto had only gone out with herself for a few months. She had only gone out with Naruto, but she wasn't necessarily in need of a relationship at this point.

"Anyways….it just happened I guess."

"Well that's great…I just think its funny, we both couldn't stand him when he was in the academy, but put him on a few missions someone, and he becomes friends with anyone."

"Yea…that really is true." She said, looking back over to Naruto. "I just don't think he likes me the way I like him." She said as she frowned.

"I'll find that out." Sakura said with a grin, "Lie down and pretend you're asleep, and turn so you're not facing him." She said as she got up and walked over to Naruto, sitting down in a chair near his bed. Ino complied with Sakura, curious to her plan.

Sakura gently nudged Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto, wake up." And with that, he opened his eyes and looked up.

"Hey Sakura, what's up?" he said, sitting up against the wall and stretching his arms.

"I was just wondering if you want to go on a date?" she asked as sincerely as she could. Ino was about to jump up and crush her friend for that, when she heard him talk.

"Sorry Sakura, I'm kinda seeing someone…well, not really, but we've been on a few _dates_, and I like her." He said, lying back down. Obviously he was asleep again; his breathing and snoring told you that. Ino was smiling to his response, 'So he does like me.' She said to herself as she turned.

"See, it was that easy." She said as she turned to Ino.

Ino chuckled and sat up, "I was about to kill you."

"Part of my master plan." She said as she attempted a maniacal chuckle, but she failed which caused both of them to laugh. "So…what else have you two done?" She asked her friend.

Ino blushed, "Nothing, only kissed a few times."

Sakura nodded in understanding, "Well, Naruto won't push you, he won't even ask, he's really patient with that stuff." She said, and she admired that about him, and she also blushed, which caught Ino's attention.

"He said you two never…" she didn't finish.

She blushed again at the thought, "We didn't, we did some other things though." She said as she smiled.

"Uhu…" she said, getting a bit jealous.

Sakura noticed and hatched an idea, "Like this one time, we were in his apartment and…"

"Yea, yea…I don't want to hear about it." She said, getting frustrated.

Sakura chuckled, "I'm only kidding, we made out a lot, and felt each other up, but that's about it." Ino blushed just thinking about it.

--

The next day, they were released, but ordered not to do much, so Naruto appointed Shikamaru as temporary Hokage in his stead. Naruto stayed in his room at the Hokage tower, bored out of his mind, then he thought of something. Ino was in her apartment, also bored, and she wanted to see Naruto. She was just lying in bed, trying to rest, but to no avail. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on her door, so she got up to see who it was.

"Naruto?"

"Hey…you look bored." He grinned.

"How could you tell?" she asked sarcastically.

"I don't know if it's too sudden, but, you could come to my place and we could play cards or something, to keep each other company." He was nervous asking her to come over, and she could plainly see this.

She smiled, "Well…I guess that would be okay, but your carrying me." She said as she poked his stomach which made him chuckle.

"Sure." He said and let her jump on his back.

After a few minutes they arrived at the Hokage tower, he stopped at the office.

"Everything okay?" he asked, checking in on Shikamaru.

He only stared at Naruto and Ino for a second, "Ugh…yea." He answered in utter bewilderment.

Ino was smiling as was Naruto and he carried her out of the room, closing the door. 'What the hell?' Shikamaru asked himself.

Naruto opened the door and set her down, then he closed the door behind him. She looked around, she never knew that the Hokage's room was so nice. It had a large (very large) bed with silky red covers, and large silky pillows, a large bathroom attached to it, with a huge bathtub and a large shower. There was a very large window, that was covered with the shade at the moment, the carpet was really soft, almost like a mattress itself. She looked at the bed again, only to see a lump under the covers, then she saw his 

blonde hair, and heard a poof, the Naruto that brought her here had disappeared, causing the one under the bed to wake up.

"Oh…hey Ino..." he laughed, "Shikamaru looked confused." He said as he got up.

"If you weren't there then how…"

"You forget, whatever one of my shadow clones learns, all the sensations and exhaustion they get, I also get once they are released." 'Oh yea…how'd you forget that?' Ino mentally slapped herself.

"So…this is a nice room." She said, still taking in its beauty.

"Yea…I was surprised when I first saw it, its way better than my apartment."

She laughed, "Mine too."

"You want some tea?" he asked politely.

"Yea…that would be great." She replied smiling.

"Alright, I'll be right back, make yourself at home."

She sat on a couch that was near the window, surprised by how extremely comfortable it was.

Naruto came back with her tea and sat down next to her.

"Ugh…my throat hurts…all this coughing…." She said.

"Yea….I've never really gotten sick all that much." He said.

"Really…well then now you know how horrible it is." She said, taking a sip of her tea.

"I don't know…this doesn't seem so bad to me." He told her with a warm smile.

She blushed and looked into his eyes, those blue pools that were his eyes. She gently set her tea cup on a small table beside the couch and snuggled up to Naruto, then she brought her lips to his, and noticed that he wasn't expecting it.

But, he embraced her and kissed her back, this time, it wasn't just a kiss, they were making out, something relatively new to her, and she loved it.

They did that on and off throughout the day, but it was a bit aggravating every time one of them would start coughing and coughing. They also played cards, and talked some more. Naruto even told her some stories about his travels with Jaraiya. She blushed, most of them being perverted, of course, good old Jiraiya. He made her laugh a lot, which not many people could do, she loved being with him.

Naruto had walked her home just as the sun was setting.

"Naruto?" she asked nervously.

"Hmmm?"

"Do….do you consider us a couple?" she asked, turning her head from him.

"I don't know…do you?" he asked casually.

She sighed, "Well….I would like to." She said, and just then he grabbed her chin gently, like the other night, and turned her face to him, he gave her a quick kiss at her door.

"Then yea…we can be a couple." He said with a smile as he walked off, leaving her to her thoughts. She rushed into her apartment locked the door and jumped into bed. 'We're a couple.' She kept saying over and over in her mind as she was clutching her pillow to her chest. She felt the happiest she had ever felt at that moment.

--

"WHAT??" yelled Tenten.

"Who would've thought." added Temari.

Sakura only chuckled as she watched everyone's reactions to what Ino had just told them, she and Naruto wernt sick anymore and were back to their normal schedules. They were all at a booth in a small restaurant for breakfast and she had told them that she was Naruto's girlfriend. They were all surprised by her announcement, but then again, they were happy that she had found a boyfriend. And they had to admit, Naruto grew up to be really hot.

She was only smiling, thinking about him while she was eating with her friends.

"Oh…there he is now." Tenten said loudly, pointing out the window to Naruto, who was walking down the street, talking with Shikamaru. Ino looked behind her and saw him, she blushed and turned back around, looking at her lap, with a huge smile smothered on her lips.

"Why are you blushing….did you two…do it?" asked Temari, teasing her friend.

"What….NO!!" shouted Ino, gaining the attention of the entire restaurant.

"Sure…then what's up with that yelling?" she asked again, "Last night at Shikamaru's, he told me that he saw Naruto carry you to the Hokage's room." She said with a grin.

"Ino…you never told me." chimed in Sakura, wanting to know everything.

"Yea…tell us." said Tenten, also curious. Tenten and Temari always told them everything new between them and their boyfriends, Hinata had also started talking about it now and then, but she was on a misson at the moment. This included the things they did in bed, Ino and Sakura would always feel awkward when they did that, because they hadn't done it themselves.

"Damn you Shikamaru." Ino seethed, making Temari laugh, "We didn't do anything, he made me tea…"

"Naruto…. make tea?" Sakura asked in amazement.

"Yes…he made me tea." Ino replied in annoyance, "And we played cards, and he told me a bunch of stories about his time with Jaraiya."

"That's it?" asked Sakura, smiling and moving her head closer to Ino's.

"Well…we kissed a lot." She said, blushing again.

--

"So why were you carrying Ino into your room?" asked Shikamaru.

"Oh…I invited her over so we could keep each other company." He told his friend.

"So…did you do anything?"

"Not really, we played cards and talked mostly…and we kissed a lot…"

--

After about a month of dating, they had become a very close couple, often going on double dates with Shikamaru and Temari, or Hinata and Kiba. Ino had asked if she could move in with him. He accepted without even thinking twice about it, making her even happier. So here we are, the night she moved anything she needed from her apartment to his large room. She was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, and he was already there, looking out the window, seeing a few snowflakes now and then through the darkness.

He felt the bed bounce and turned to the other side, "Hey there." He said happily.

She got under the covers, "Hey stranger." She giggled, knowing they wouldn't do anything tonight; they still hadn't done anything more than kissing. Sakura was right, he was really patient when it came to that stuff, but she admired it, and she would let him know when she was ready.

She snuggled up to him, her back to his front, and turned her head to kiss him goodnight, he then wrapped his arms around her stomach and kissed her neck gently.

"Naruto…" she said, almost inaudibly.

"Yea?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight Ino." He replied, slightly tightening his hold on her, nuzzling his head into the crook of her neck, closing his eyes.

* * *

_Reviews would be nice, just to see how i did. I was thinking i might make a sequel or two to this, probably of the M rating though...who knows._

_If you happen to stumble over any bad grammer or spelling problems, lemme know._


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